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Preview: Liverpool v Everton

Cape Town - Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will get his first taste of the Merseyside derby when neighbours Everton make the short trip across Stanley Park to Anfield on Wednesday.

Klopp had plenty of experience in the Ruhr derby with former team Borussia Dortmund against Schalke, but that rivalry pales in comparison to the one between the Reds and the Toffees.

The Merseyside derby has been contested 224 times, with the red half claiming 88 wins compared to 66 for the blue half - their last meeting ended in a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park earlier this season in the reverse fixture.

Klopp's side head into the midweek encounter on the back of a three-match unbeaten run in the Premier League and five points off the European places in eighth spot.

They have responded well to the 3-2 defeat at Southampton last month, holding title contenders Tottenham to a 1-1 draw, before beating Stoke 4-1 and Bouremouth 2-1 most recently.

Meanwhile, Roberto Martinez's team are languishing in the bottom-half of the table after failing to win their last six league matches.

However, the Toffees have managed to pick up points from their last three outings following draws against Watford, Crystal Palace and the Saints, which sees them sitting three points adrift of the top-10 in 11th position.

In team news, Divock Origi will be available for the hosts, despite the striker picking up a back injury against the Cherries on Sunday.

Kolo Toure is also expected to be fit after suffering a cramp at the Vitality Stadium, but fellow centre-back Martin Skrtel misses out once again with a back problem.

The visitors will be without key duo Phil Jagielka and Seamus Coleman for this massive derby clash.

Skipper Jagielka is still struggling with a hamstring injury, while a similar problem forced right-back Coleman off at the weekend.

But James McCarthy comes back into contention after serving a suspension, although Tom Cleverley (knock) and Aaron Lennon (hamstring) face late fitness tests.

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